


A Metaphor about Cheesecakes

by bestvest



Series: Food，Sex and Human Nature [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Cheesecake, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Naruto Centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-14 16:16:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16496000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bestvest/pseuds/bestvest
Summary: Naruto spotted a cheesecake on his way home.





	A Metaphor about Cheesecakes

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [【卡鸣】关于芝士蛋糕的隐喻](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16244018) by [bestvest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bestvest/pseuds/bestvest). 



> This one was for Naruto’s birthday.  
> And it's not google translated this time! It's all me!  
> I hope it's not terrible : ( enjoy!

Naruto spotted a cheesecake on his way home. Eight inches, the upper skin was roasted brown, with raisins layered at the bottom. When the baker lifted it with a tray it jiggled like jelly. That was what a cheesecake supposed to look like, meaning, all the ingredients must not go too far; the sweetness and cheese should be subtle. The flavor should be slipping down your throat the moment it touched your tongue. It gave you three and the rest seven should not need to be said. And it haunted you, until you had it in your mouth.

It was Naruto himself that walked into the bakery’s trap. The staff, wearing a red apron, was standing at the door and giving out samples with too much eager patience and generosity. Naruto was distracted, and did not realize what he did until the sample was in his belly. The staff was looking at him expectedly, making Naruto feeling awkward. It was a free sample per se, but it would seem too mean to just walk away.

At the end Naruto brought some toasted bread that he was going to need anyway, some croissant that Shikamaru seemed to love, and some cookies for the assistants in I.T.. When he was leaving, the red-apron, surrounded by a couple of children, raised the tray in the air in one hand and wave to Naruto with his whole upper body. His movement display the sense of balance of a shinobi. Hiding the paper bag behind himself, Naurto waved to him guiltily, afraid of being found out he refused the recommendation. In case of anyone asking, Naruto had practice his excuse; that he lived alone. A whole cheesecake was too much for him.

It was a shit excuse. But the staff did not seem to notice what was in his hand. The children were excited, though. There was this one boy, Daisuke, was too young to speak clearly, and always pronounce _Uzumaki Jounin_ as _Izimaki Chonin_. Naruto spent some effort to convince them to call him _Naruto Niichan_ was just fine, and gave them all his cookies, which made the red-apron awkward.  

Naruto left the cheesecake in the showcase.

 

Time had changed, and people did not need a particular reason to eat cakes. Feeling alone. Feeling good. Had a new haircut. Worked hard all day. Did not worked hard at all. Or just simply _want to_. To eat whatever you want was such a luxurious habit that was easy to get used to. Schwarzwald. Cream chiffon. Mango layered pancake. Chocolate mousse. So many choices, all divided into palm size and put into delicate boxes, each for one and only one person. Even if you manage to invite one more to share, it was out of pure love and sacrifice – that sounded like a metaphor of adult life.

Naruto lived a childhood that he had to work hard for a week for a bowl of ramen. If he could get Iruka Sensei to buy him extra large it was a battle well won. But ramen was different from cakes. Ramen, rice and bread filled a shinobi’s belly, provided them with energy to fight and run. Ramen was the promise before leaving and the comfort after returning. It was just like the Hokage Mountain and the Memorial Stone; it was the beginning and the founding rock. It was home.

A cake, though, a cake was extravagance. One of those things you can live without. Children could throw a huge tantrum for a piece of cake, which you had to share with parents even if you get one. The only day you could have as much cakes as you want was birthday. _Parents_ and _birthday_. These concepts and Naruto were strangers to each other.

Naruto was not his thirteen-year-old self, but when confronted with that whole tray of rounded cheesecake, an invisible line made him hesitate. Cakes were for something special. Or, cakes _represented_ things that were special. Companionship. Family. Days worth celebrating. _Contentment_.

There were things in the world that Uzumaki Naruto did not dare to grab and take.

Passing by the bakery the next day, Naruto went in again and brought things he did not really need. He saw the baker working this time. Cheese, butter and milk melt together in a pot. Egg white whipped to foaming with sugar.

He knew by looking that it would be sweet.

After three days of free croissant, Shikamaru became suspicious. “What’s wrong with you,” he asked, “Someone catch your eyes?” And Naruto almost spilled his cup-noodles on the newly managed file.

 “That was jumping too fast. I can’t be nice to you from time to time?”

Shikamaru shrugged. “Being nice to me is suspicious enough.”

 “Oi! Where’s our comrade love?”

Shikamaru did not continue this conversation, obviously being attracted by some interesting information on the document in his hand. (Although Naruto couldn’t understand how _documents_ could be _interesting_. Useful, maybe, but not _interesting_.) Naruto sipped at his cup-noodles at his spot, making the noise louder than usual just to prove a point. Shikamaru pretended not to notice, but Naruto knew he was annoyed.

I.T. brought new infos on the Five Kage Conference in the Nation of Water half way through lunch. Naruto was distracted by work, and in the afternoon had forgot their conversation. It was when they were about to leave that Shikamaru asked about it again.

“Where’s the bakery? The croissants were good.”

There were still a few scrolls in Naruto’s hand, so he answered without much thinking. “On my way home. If you like it I can bring some more.”

Shikamaru didn’t ask any further. Naruto should have known it was a sign.

####

Shikamaru and Sakura ambushed him outside of the Hokage Building after work. It was when Sakura dragged him all the way to Ichiraku, and Naruto saw two dozen feet in front of the stand, that he remembered it was his birthday. Team Eighth, Tenth and Third were all there. Lee and Gai Sensei were doing one-handed hand stand outside, and Sai was watching them, looking entertained. Konohamaru, Meogi and Udon were fighting for one seat.

 “Look at you,” Iruka Sensei bumped his head gently, “Never one time did you hand in your homework on time. And now forgetting your own birthday for work.”

 “Naruto and paperworks!” Sakura slammed the table, and everyone flinched back on instinct. “Put the two words in one sentence and the world does not end. I’m appalled.”

 “Don’t say that,” Sai chimed in. “When Naruto put himself and Hokage in a sentence, the world did not end neither.”

The shinobis of Konoha couldn’t help but reflected on their lives for a moment.

It was Naruto who broke the silence. “Truth to be told, it did almost end.”

 

The ramen stand was too small for all of them. So they took off the curtain and put extra chairs outside, forming a circle. Ichiraku began to mumble about buying a bigger store.

 “The fifteenth bowl coming up - that covers everyone. Oh, and Hokage Sama is not here. How long have this conference been going on? Two weeks?”

 “Oh. Yes, Kakashi Sensei-” Naruto opened his mouth, but Shikamaru coughed, and Naruto almost bit his tongue. “-Er, sorry. During the negotiation Sensei’s whereabouts are all top secrets.”

 “Understood.” Ichiraku dismissed him with his hand. “That’s a new sight, though. Naruto being all Hokage-assistant like.”

 “Shikamaru does it way better than me.” Naruto signed, “But it’s necessary to become Hokage. So I’m trying my best.”

 “What an undying spirit of youth! Lee! Did you see that?! As Naruto’s comrade you should not be too kind to yourself either. Even confronting your weakness, you should conquer it with bravery! That’s decided! From today on we will be putting extra training on document reporting! We shall complete a 1000 word report every day!!”

 “Yes! Gai Sensei!!”

Ichikaru outdid himself that day, and all the ramen filled up evey inch of Naruto’s belly and heart, like the happiness that was trying to escape from his eyes as tears. Iruka Sensei might have saw him wiping his eyes when no one’s paying attention, but he did not say anything. When they were about to leave, Honokamaru complained about dull jounin life that ended a party without drinking. All jounins looked at each other with weighted sympathy.

When Honokamaru became a jounin, he would understand the pain

Naruto found presents piling on his tea table when he got home. A new version of first-aid package. A small pot of hydrocotyle. Three coupons for unlimited buffet in BarbeQ. Two sets of body weight. A set of advanced shuriken. A necklace in the shape of sharped teeth. An amber with bug in it. A scarf. The watch was probably from Iruka Sensei. Kurenai Sensei gave him a Naruto dolled that was hand-made by Mirai, and a birthday card draw by canyon. Naruto put the doll on his desk and carefully stick the card on the wall. Tsunade Bachan sent him a set of Suke cups. Naruto was confused at first, but then realized they might once belong to Ero-senin. There was a seal sroll, crawling with words and signs that Naruto couldn’t read. But he recognized the Uzumaki sign on it. Probably Sasuke’s finding on his journey.

 

Naruto put the plant by the window and watered it according to Ino’s instruction. Weapons and kits he knew how to manage, but the necklace, amber, watch and sake cup were another matter. He eventually pulled out a cookie jar that the thirteen-year-old Uzumaki Naruto did not bring himself to throw away from under his bed. Naruto dug it out from the ruin of his apartment after Pain’s attack. It was a little bit crooked, and the paint was marred, but still managed to protect his precious; a few outdated Ichiraku coupon. His first hitai-ate. The film of Team Seventh’s photo. The broken necklace of the First. _The Endurance of Shinobi_. The Flying Thunder God’s kunai.

Maybe he should put a seal on it.

Naruto packed and put away his new precious. After cleaning up the table, he realized that he missed one more card. Well, it was more like Shikamaru grabbed the nearest paper at the office. It said _Sleep later_.

Odd.

Someone came into his apartment when he was showring. Naruto left the shower opened, putting on his clothe while hiding his breath. He tiptoed to the door, squatted down, and leaned to the door. When he realized it was Kakashi Sensei it was already too late. The door was pulled opened, and Naruto almost planted his head to the floor.

 “Hentai Sensei! What if I didn’t dress up!!”

Naruto’s hair was half dried, and half of his pajamas absorbed the water on the floor. Kakashi Sensei looked down at Naruto’s mess with his eyes smiling just like the good old days. Naruto stood up and closed the shower in an aggressive manner, and teared his wet T-shirt from the shoulder.

He could feel Kakashi’s eyes on him.

 “You’re back early.” Naruto mumbled while pushing Kakashi out of his way, going to his wardrobe for a change of clothes. “I thought Shikamaru said – ah!” His arm was stuck, and the innocence on Kakashi’s face made him boiled. “It’s all Shikamaru’s fault!”

 “Why. I didn’t know Naturo would be so against to seeing his Sensei again. Sensei is hurt.” Kakashi could say whatever he want. But in reality he was obviously more keened on watching Naruto fighting his own T-shirt.

 “You are nearly forty please don’t pretend to be cute.”

 “Of all things you can learn from Shikamaru, meanness is the one you mastered.”

The Sensei and the student glared at each other.

This was their usual game. During the time of Team Seventh Naruto loved to pick at Kakashi, and Kakashi couldn’t refuse a chance to make Naruto eat his own fruit. Afterwards it became more of a pass-time entertainment. Their secretaries were shocked for the extend the two war heroes went at each other. Especially that they could still go to ramen together afterwards. But they got used to it.

The rule was simple. Whoever revealed that they care was the loser, who would buy ramen.

That sounded like a metaphor.

Naruto lost this round. He received too much happiness today, and did not have the energy to pretend weariness. Kakashi’s uniform vest was worn, his hatai-ate was covered in dirt. He apparently came straight to Naruto after returning. Naruto wanted to act angry, but the muscles on his cheek presented him a smile, The amusement in Kakashi’s eyes also gradually became something softer. It made Naruto’s cheeks burnt hot and heart beat loud.

 “I brought a cake.” Kakashi whispered. And Naruto felt like a lost puppy hanging on Kakashi’s every word. Two weeks was not a long time. It was often that Naruto had to stayed out of the village for a few months in a mission. But this was the first time that _he_ was left behind. Naruto knew this was another lesson a Hokage must get used to; to watch his friends leave, and believe they will return.

 “Just the two of us?” Naruto sat with Kakashi at the tea table, and found the cake box a little familiar. When Kakashi took off the lid, he made a confused noise.

That cheesecake he spotted. Eight inches. The skin toasted brown, with raisins underneath. He pushed the tray slightly with his fingers. The cake jiggled like jelly.

 “That’s a bingo, then,” Kakashi’s enthusiasm was too raw for Naruto to look. He lowered his head, controlling the words and emotions that were trying to escape from his body.

 “Shikamaru told you?”

Kakashi silently confirmed, and started to form a perfect circle with exactly twenty candles on the poor cheesecake with the precision of an elite shinobi. Naruto watched him while he was concentrated. Kakashi’s face was lean, a hint of weariness that was the evidence of overtime works. That made Naruto become more alerted. He began to notice things he did not notice before. The way Kakashi curled his belly. His left hand was supporting himself on his knees. His fingers were trembling.

 “You rushed.” Naruto concluded. There was real anger in his voice now. “You didn’t eat before you came, don’t you Sensei.”

 “Well. Guilty as charged?” Kakashi put out the face of mocked innocence again. Naruto glared at him, grabbing the lighter in his hand.

 “There’s a bendo from yesterday in my fridge.” He stood up and walked to the kitchen. “You need to eat something first.”

 “But there’s a biiiiig cake right here-”

 “That is not a meal, Mister!”

 “God! OK! Yes, mum.”

 “…Why I’m having this strange feeling that we’re reading each other’s lines.”

The bendo from yesterday was omelet fried rice with octopus-shaped sausages. He did not make it. A girl at I.T. gave it to him, to thank his cookies. The fried rice was arranged in a shape of spiked hair, with eggs providing the yellow color. Eating his own face felt a bit strange, but he couldn’t refuse her right then, so he brought it home. When he was leaving the next day he had forgotten about it, until just now.

 “That’s pretty,” Kakashi stood behind him to peak into the bendo. “Who gave it to you?”

 “Haruna-san at I.T.” Naruto put the bendo in the microwave, and added, “I brought cookies to them when I went to the bakery. They returned the gesture.”

 “Emmm, smell nice.” Kakashi sniffed, and Naruto realized his voice was no longer muffled. He took off his mask. “Why didn’t you eat it?”

Naruto shrugged, sliding away from Kakashi’s personal space in front of the counter. He could feel his palm sweating, just like the girl when she was giving out the bendo. Excitement, fear, expectation and uncertainty. The difference being that Haruna-san was braver than him. Kakashi’s warmth soaked through his clothes, with the smell of grass and dirt clinging to his body. So Naruto stepped back.

He should have refused her more directly at the time.

The microwave dinged.

He put Kakashi back to the table and made sure he ate all of the bendo. When he was passing the chopsticks to Kakashi, his fingers lingered on the back of Naruto’s hand. Shinobi’s sense of touch was sensitive, and movement more controlled. Naruto watched Kakashi ate distractedly, trying to figure out if the touch was intentional.

Oh. The damned cheesecake.

When it finally came to the point of lighting the candle, Naruto was having an internal breakdown. He suddenly did not want to be alone with Kakashi.

“Don’t we need to bring more people?”

 “It’s twelve in the evening. People are sleeping.”

 “Yamato Taicho came back with you right? Shouldn’t we call him?”

 “Tenzo is still working. No need to bother him.”

 “…You leave your work to him don’t you.”

Kakashi smiled.

 “All right. All right,” Naruto light up the lighter. “Sing properly, will you? Nobody can cover you now.”

They turned off the light. Kakashi’s face was divided into light and shadow. His singing talent was still missing. Naruto observe him in the dark. The hollow of his eyes, the shadow on his face casting down by his hair, his lips, his neck. Excitement, fear, expectation and uncertainty. He closed his eyes and made a wish. There was a world waiting for him to make a change, but his ribs could only contain one bird.

He blew the candle.

In the dark Naruto heard clothe muffling, feeling the warmth and the smell of grass and dirt clinging to Kakashi’s body. There were fingers stroking the back of his hand, Kakashi’s breath was mixed with the ketchup in the omelet rice. When the verdict came Naruto was seized by a calm of one facing inevitable death. So when Kakashi kissed him, Naruto was prepared. Kakashi’s  lips and teeth was gentle and patient, and Naruto learnt in awe. It was like going to the Nation of Wave again. The reflection of his world was shattered and rebuilt. He managed to peak underneath the underneath. Everything was so strange and curious. He felt uncertain. Uncertainty, excitement, fear and expectation.

Kakashi hold his chin in his hand, looking into his eyes in the moonlight, fingers stroking his skin. Naruto’s chest trembled, as if that bird that was trying to escape had finally rested on his fifth rib, and he couldn’t get used to the quietness. Kakashi’s face was naked, expression open and tender, with so much honesty that Naruto couldn’t breathe. Words and emotions fled from his body. He could only grab Kakashi’s fingers in his hand, taking off his hatai-ate, and leaned close to kiss his forehead. Kakashi closed his eyes, his breath and eyelashes touched Naruto’s cheek like feathers.

 “Come on,” Kakashi whispered to the dark, “ Let’s eat the cake.”

Like some kind of metaphor.

 

**END**

 

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the jiggled cheese cake from an episode of BuzzFeed/ Eat Your Feed. I was like I want that cake!!!!!!


End file.
